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Thursday, January 16, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/kristersson-promises-big-investment-in-mass-surveillance/

Sweden

Kristersson promises big investment in mass surveillance

Published 27 June 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Ulf Kristersson wants to see many more surveillance cameras around the country.
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There are far too few surveillance cameras in Sweden, according to prime minister Ulf Kristersson. He therefore promises to “launch a major camera offensive” and expand the surveillance apparatus “all over the country”.

– In the run-up to the budget negotiations in the fall, we want to double the number of cameras for the police and expand them all over the country, he announced during a speech in Almedalen.

Kristersson dismisses critics who argue that the measures are too far-reaching and invasive, saying that “nothing is more invasive than being the victim of a serious crime”.

That’s why he and his government also want to change the law to make it easier for Swedish regions and municipalities to install surveillance cameras without special permission.

New York – the model

The police’s “camera target” will also be doubled – from 2,500 to 5,000 new cameras around the country. In addition, the police will have easier access than today to cameras owned by government agencies, businesses and public transportation.

Kristersson’s main source of inspiration is New York, one of the most camera-surveillance-rich cities in the Western world, where the police make extensive use of various forms of surveillance cameras in their daily work.

– When murders go unsolved and witnesses are afraid to testify, the cameras will make life safer for ordinary people, the Swedish prime minister promises.

Gunnar Strömmer, Minister of Justice, says that the “preventive effect” of surveillance cameras must be emphasized, stressing that fewer crimes are committed where there are cameras.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/sweden-begins-construction-on-first-ever-final-nuclear-waste-repository/

Sweden

Sweden begins construction on first-ever final nuclear waste repository

Published today 12:41
– By Editorial Staff
The construction itself is estimated to cost around €1 billion.
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Yesterday, construction began on Sweden’s first final repository for spent nuclear fuel at the Forsmark nuclear power plant in Östhammar municipality. The facility, which will be one of the first of its kind globally, will store nuclear fuel waste for up to 100,000 years.

Minister for Climate and Environment Romina Pourmokhtari (L) attended the groundbreaking ceremony and described the event as “historic” and emphasized the importance of the project for both Sweden and the world:

– A very important milestone. Not only for Sweden and in our nuclear history but also to set the image for the rest of the world, that we have actually researched this method and now started to apply it as well.

Sweden currently has six active nuclear reactors that together produce between 90 and 150 tons of spent nuclear fuel annually. This waste is currently stored in Oskarshamn, but will eventually be moved to the final repository in Forsmark. When the repository is sealed in 2090, it is estimated to hold about 12,000 tons of nuclear fuel waste, encapsulated in copper and surrounded by bentonite clay, placed 500 meters below the ground surface.

However, the Environmental NGOs’ Nuclear Waste Review (MKG) expresses some concern about the chosen method of copper encapsulation and the uncertainty of future nuclear technologies.

– We don’t know what the reactors of the future will look like and this may possibly lead to different conditions for how the waste needs to be disposed of, points out Linda Birkedal, chair of MKG.

“Safe method”

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB), which is responsible for the project, assures that the method is not associated with any risks.

– We have a safe method. But on the other hand, there is currently no plan for what new types of facilities will be built, SKB’s head of communications Anna Porelius told state television SVT.

If the government’s plans to expand nuclear power are realized, additional final storage capacity may be necessary. Carl Berglöf, nuclear power coordinator, says that an expansion of the existing final repository in Forsmark would be most cost-effective, but that legal obstacles may make it necessary to consider new sites. The issue will be further investigated in 2025.

The construction of the final repository in Forsmark, led by SKB, is estimated to cost SEK 12 billion (€1 billion). The total cost of Sweden’s nuclear waste program is estimated at around SEK 171 billion (€15 billion).

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-mep-wants-to-defeat-the-kremlin/

Sweden

Swedish MEP wants to “defeat” the Kremlin

The new cold war

Published today 8:52
– By Editorial Staff
Emma Wiesner is one of many Swedish leaders who have recently started using increasingly aggressive rhetoric.
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In a short period of time, the rhetoric of Swedish leaders has become increasingly belligerent and aggressive, while diplomacy and dialogue are rarely put forward as a viable option.

Emma Wiesner, MEP for the Center Party, is one of those accused of fueling the conflict, openly posting on social media about how “we” should “defeat” the Kremlin.

The fact that Swedish politicians’ attitude towards Russia has become even more hostile in recent months was made abundantly clear at Folk och Försvar’s national conference in Sälen this past weekend. At the conference, Ulf Kristersson declared that Sweden is certainly not currently at war – but emphasized that “there is no peace either”.

The Swedish Minister of Defense, Pål Jonson, gave a similar message, declaring that supporting Kiev in the war was no longer a “choice” – but a “duty”.

– This is a war with profound global consequences that further weakens the rules-based world order… We must assume that Russia will pose a very serious threat to us and our allies for the foreseeable future, he said.

Emma Wiesner of the Center Party is one of those who has joined the war rhetoric and believes that the Russian leadership must be defeated.

“It is completely unreasonable that Russian ships transporting Putin’s gas through the Arctic are given maintenance in EU ports. It is high time to extend sanctions to Russian LNG – we cannot defeat the Kremlin regime until we cut off the flow of money to the war chest”, she writes on X.

“Ukraine’s cause is ours”

However, it is not clear how and at what cost the Kremlin will be defeated or what role Sweden will play in this, and critics point out that sanctions against Russia have so far not produced the desired results.

“You seem angry, but it won’t help you ‘defeat the regime in the Kremlin’, the only thing that can happen with your advice is that we dig ourselves even deeper into economic misery in Europe. But of course, as an MEP, you’re not exactly in the same boat as the rest of us”, commented one annoyed user.

Wiesner has previously declared that “Ukraine’s cause is ours” and that a Russian victory on the battlefield cannot be accepted under any circumstances as it would lead to a “fundamentally different Europe” than today.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-center-party-official-facing-child-sexual-misconduct-charges/

Sweden

Swedish Center Party official facing child sexual misconduct charges

Published yesterday 15:16
– By Editorial Staff
Gustav Hemming was one of the Center Party's most prominent figures in Stockholm before the scandal.
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In December, Gustav Hemming, the regional councilor of the Center Party in Stockholm, resigned after it was discovered that he had masturbated in front of a 13-year-old boy on a train.

Now the Swedish Prosecution Authority confirms that Mr. Hemming has been officially charged with sexual abuse of a child and faces up to two years in prison if convicted.

– The investigation is proceeding with the usual investigative measures such as witness interviews. Due to the confidentiality of the investigation, I cannot provide any further information at this time, says prosecutor Rebecca Rehnström, who is leading the investigation. She also does not want to give any forecast for when the investigation is expected to be completed.

The prosecutor has found no reason to detain Hemming, and although imprisonment is in the penalty scale, analysts believe that it is likely that the former C-top will get away with a fine or suspended sentence.

The suspect’s position on the charges is unclear, and since being forced to resign he has kept a very low profile.

May receive millions

The Nordic Times has previously highlighted the case and how Hemming, after the abuse was discovered, was very quick to apply for preferential compensation from the fees board, which some high-ranking politicians who have been in office for a long time are entitled to.

If approved, more than SEK 15 million (€1.3 million) – or more than SEK 90,000 (€7800) a month of taxpayers’ money – will be paid to the Center Party politician.

This quickly sparked a public outcry, with many expressing the view that authorities who abuse children or commit other serious crimes should receive no compensation whatsoever – but instead face much harsher penalties than they do today.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-armed-forces-unveil-drone-swarms-can-be-as-many-as-needed/

Sweden

Swedish Armed Forces unveil drone swarms: “Can be as many as needed”

The new cold war

Published yesterday 11:13
– By Editorial Staff
The drones are described as "trucks" that can carry both weapons and cameras.
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The Swedish Armed Forces have been working on a new drone project over the past year, under great secrecy, together with weapons manufacturer Saab, where large swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles will be used in military operations.

–They can be as many as needed – thousands, if desired, says Saab CEO Micael Johansson

The main focus has been on developing new software that is said to enable the drones to form swarms and perform tasks almost automatically, without any operator having to control each individual aircraft in detail.

– It’s not about piloting drones, you give them a mission on an iPad or mobile phone, then the drone swarm goes out and does this, the Saab top executive told TT during a press conference, explaining that a soldier can learn the system in a few days.

A possible drone mission could be to monitor a road by flying over it and transmitting images or video from the site, while scouting for enemies that the drones can also identify. By using hundreds or thousands of drones, very large areas can be monitored in this way, and if a few drones are disrupted, this also has little impact.

Although this has not been part of the project so far, it is also possible that in the future the drones will be armed and used to attack enemy forces.

– You can update this software and do amazing things in the long run, says Micael Johansson.

Should not make their own decisions

According to Army Chief of Staff Jonny Lindfors, the drones should be considered “trucks” – and it is up to the decision-makers to decide what cargo they should carry.

– But the basic principle that still applies is that in an armed operation there should be a human being making the decisions, he says.

Swedish soldiers have already started training with the new system and it will also be used in the NATO exercise Arctic Strike in March. The Swedish Armed Forces are also in the process of acquiring tens of thousands of drones, but they won’t say how much the new system will cost.

Sweden’s Minister of Defense Pål Jonson (M) is careful to point out, however, that a project of this kind usually takes about five years to complete – and that it is “uniquely fast” that the software has been developed in just one year.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com